To link to the entire object, paste this link in email, IM or documentTo embed the entire object, paste this HTML in websiteTo link to this page, paste this link in email, IM or documentTo embed this page, paste this HTML in website

Waning War Anti Anti War Movement l Dear Listener The nationally planned i and und coordinated demonstrations against the war scheduled for last Saturday were one of the low pO points of the war anti-war movement Not since the earliest days 01 of me tn movement has participation and interest been so 1 low low Sixteen cities were supposed to be the sites of huge regional rallies the culmination of protests that began last August Estimates of attendance from the National Peace Action Coalition ranged to the hundreds of thousands nationally in reality V only a few thousand showed up with some cities having only a few hundred participants Critics of the war anti-war movement rejoice and say the movement is breathing its last and only a afew afew afew few scattered demonstrations will mark the end of o the movement The leaders of the movement hard to pin down at any anyone one time because new names and faces fac are continually popping up are still op op- optimistic optimistic op- op optimistic about where it is headed and the effect it itcan itcan itcan can still have They feel reel they can get gel people into the streets and still feel they will eventually be a factor fact r in ending the war They point with pride to the abdication of Lyndon Johnson from the presidency and at the quick nick withdrawal from Cambodia they forced through rough massive demonstrations in 1970 as as two of oC the major victories of the movement They are strangely quiet about Nixon however and cant can't seem to ever get a good hold on him There are several reasons why the movement is losing strength The draft d lottery has reduced much of the dissension Thousands of young men menno menno menno no longer longa- care about the draft or the war because they feel eel they have escaped it i Their futures are areno areno areno no longer b er uncertain no longer subject to the whims of the local draft boards They can now go about their business of oC living livin and working While they may still be sympathetic to the goals of the movement they no longer feel eel compelled to ac ac- actively actively actively support it American withdrawal from rom Vietnam the lowest IONest casualty rate since 1965 and the recent diplomatic moves toward Red China have taken their toll of the strength of the movement The war is no longer page front news the President is bringing troops home and emphasizing de-emphasizing the combat role of American troops Newspapers and magazines no longer run page front-page stories of caskets being unloaded from cargo planes smoke-blackened smoke and bloodied wounded no longer make the front pages to stir sUr the public Public outrage has subsided as the policy takes effect shifting the burden of the war off the Americans A third reason is the nature of demonstrations themselves They have become too watered down with other causes and too diversified to have havea a united uni effect Ecology womans woman's liberation welfare reform and other movements have siphon siphon- siphoned ed off money support and publicity ty for the war anit-war efforts Rallies and marches no longer have unity speakers ramble from one topic b to the next often contradicting each other and themselves Competition for the interest ants and support of people turns into a bombardment of rhetoric and slogans confusing and turning off their interest Finally a u lack tack of leadership has caused fac fac- factionalism factionalism and splits in the movement There has 1 as been no single person to catch the imagination of the mass of people Names and faces appear in papers but bit disappear in a few months The Abbie Hoffmanns Dave and Daniel Ellsberg cannot sustain interest and enthusiasm often alienate large number of followers by meaningless speeches hackneyed naive political ideas or I simply lack of personality The movement drifts one way following each gust of wind wild from f om whatever direction but never having a single strong trong hand on the tiller or to trim its sails to make progress ss in one direction The true test lest of the strength and determination of the movement will come in 1972 The elections and even the tie candidates on the slate will show how much effect the movement has had Nixon is aiming his program at 1972 aiming for his re What the war anti-war movement move move- movement movement ment can do by then and what effect they have on the elections will be the determining factor on the movement Don Dun

Waning War Anti Anti War Movement l Dear Listener The nationally planned i and und coordinated demonstrations against the war scheduled for last Saturday were one of the low pO points of the war anti-war movement Not since the earliest days 01 of me tn movement has participation and interest been so 1 low low Sixteen cities were supposed to be the sites of huge regional rallies the culmination of protests that began last August Estimates of attendance from the National Peace Action Coalition ranged to the hundreds of thousands nationally in reality V only a few thousand showed up with some cities having only a few hundred participants Critics of the war anti-war movement rejoice and say the movement is breathing its last and only a afew afew afew few scattered demonstrations will mark the end of o the movement The leaders of the movement hard to pin down at any anyone one time because new names and faces fac are continually popping up are still op op- optimistic optimistic op- op optimistic about where it is headed and the effect it itcan itcan itcan can still have They feel reel they can get gel people into the streets and still feel they will eventually be a factor fact r in ending the war They point with pride to the abdication of Lyndon Johnson from the presidency and at the quick nick withdrawal from Cambodia they forced through rough massive demonstrations in 1970 as as two of oC the major victories of the movement They are strangely quiet about Nixon however and cant can't seem to ever get a good hold on him There are several reasons why the movement is losing strength The draft d lottery has reduced much of the dissension Thousands of young men menno menno menno no longer longa- care about the draft or the war because they feel eel they have escaped it i Their futures are areno areno areno no longer b er uncertain no longer subject to the whims of the local draft boards They can now go about their business of oC living livin and working While they may still be sympathetic to the goals of the movement they no longer feel eel compelled to ac ac- actively actively actively support it American withdrawal from rom Vietnam the lowest IONest casualty rate since 1965 and the recent diplomatic moves toward Red China have taken their toll of the strength of the movement The war is no longer page front news the President is bringing troops home and emphasizing de-emphasizing the combat role of American troops Newspapers and magazines no longer run page front-page stories of caskets being unloaded from cargo planes smoke-blackened smoke and bloodied wounded no longer make the front pages to stir sUr the public Public outrage has subsided as the policy takes effect shifting the burden of the war off the Americans A third reason is the nature of demonstrations themselves They have become too watered down with other causes and too diversified to have havea a united uni effect Ecology womans woman's liberation welfare reform and other movements have siphon siphon- siphoned ed off money support and publicity ty for the war anit-war efforts Rallies and marches no longer have unity speakers ramble from one topic b to the next often contradicting each other and themselves Competition for the interest ants and support of people turns into a bombardment of rhetoric and slogans confusing and turning off their interest Finally a u lack tack of leadership has caused fac fac- factionalism factionalism and splits in the movement There has 1 as been no single person to catch the imagination of the mass of people Names and faces appear in papers but bit disappear in a few months The Abbie Hoffmanns Dave and Daniel Ellsberg cannot sustain interest and enthusiasm often alienate large number of followers by meaningless speeches hackneyed naive political ideas or I simply lack of personality The movement drifts one way following each gust of wind wild from f om whatever direction but never having a single strong trong hand on the tiller or to trim its sails to make progress ss in one direction The true test lest of the strength and determination of the movement will come in 1972 The elections and even the tie candidates on the slate will show how much effect the movement has had Nixon is aiming his program at 1972 aiming for his re What the war anti-war movement move move- movement movement ment can do by then and what effect they have on the elections will be the determining factor on the movement Don Dun